Experienced Legal Counsel
Technology. Agreements. Litigation. Compliance.
Services
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We are trusted advisors and stern negotiators for our clients’ contract matters.
Our work includes:
contract reviews,
share issuance and private placements,
policy drafting,
due diligence investigations,
regulatory disclosures,
discussions with third-party stakeholders,
interfacing with insurers/brokers on coverage matters,
gap assessments, etc.
We routinely act as transactional project managers while reviewing MSAs, drafting SOWs, and regulating the flow of incoming Change Orders.
We often work in complex ecosystems with many stake-holders and regulators, where an appropriate balance must be struck with external obligations.
Specific examples of our contract-related work are discussed on our About Us page.
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We approach dispute resolution with our clients’ best interest at heart, with rigorous analysis of law and evidence.
We regularly litigate high-stakes cases involving:
commercial agreements,
investment disputes;
negligence in complex technology stacks,
regulatory investigations,
shareholder disputes,
director negligence,
banking disputes,
insurance coverage,
online defamation, etc.
We represent clients at all stages of their dispute, including settlement conferences, examinations for discovery, disclosure motions, mediation, trial and appeals.
We handle investigations early, to discover relevant facts up front and limit future surprises. We also provide up-front exposure analyses and damages assessments when possible.
We work with technical experts to procure necessary expert evidence, as needed.
Specific examples of our litigation work are discussed on our About Us page.
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We act as GC & CPO for organizations requiring oversight of complex business, legal and privacy/AI mandates.
Our work includes:
acting as interim leader of legal, privacy and AI governance functions,
advising the Board and C-suite on risk mitigation measures,
drafting term sheets for complex deals,
establishing legal processes and protocols for non-lawyer resources,
drafting playbooks for events requiring urgent action and crisis management,
advising on employment agreements,
procuring vendors,
procuring insurance coverage for supply chain exposures (e.g. data breach coverage),
acting as the point of contact for incidence response, etc.
Specific examples of our GC and in-house privacy/AI work are discussed on our About Us page.
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The regulatory environment for digital technology is subject to constant and ongoing change.
We are privileged to publicly share our perspective on the various paths forward for digital law reform.
Our work in this area is focused on the laws of privacy, artificial intelligence, blockchain & cryptocurrency, and global legalops.
We invite you to view our:
We think five steps ahead, and hold your strongest position with competence and integrity.
Chetan Phull, Principal Lawyer
LLM, JD, FIP, CIPM, CIPP/C/US/E
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Complex jurisdiction motion—with $60k awarded costs—against a U.S. multinational conglomerate in a cross-border litigation with $7M+ in dispute.
Full-value settlement of a high-value machine contract against an international distributor, on confidential terms at mediation.
Created a cyber breach playbook for a national casino company, with data interests shared between PE-firm shareholders, statutory Crown operators, national service subcontractors, international commercial partners, and a multitude of regulators in various jurisdictions.
Secured favorable outcome on jurisdiction for two publicly listed web3 companies, with $40M+ in dispute against a foreign third-party.
Secured court-ordered evidence against a U.S. “tech giant” and an internet service provider.
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Chetan Phull is the Principal Lawyer at Smartblock Law. His practice is dedicated to helping commercial parties with technology deals, high-stakes litigation, digital regulation, and legal process management.
He brings broad experience to his clients, having worked as General Counsel for an international fiber optic components manufacturer, corporate and privacy counsel for Canada’s largest casino operator, digital-laws counsel for the largest global “Big Four” accounting firm, and litigation counsel for a variety of commercial/investment clients and “crypto whales”.
His courtroom experience includes complex jurisdiction matters against multinational conglomerates, debt-priority against a Schedule I bank, corporate governance malfeasance against a corporate director, high-value insurance coverage, and motions for evidence production against global technology companies and internet service providers.
Publications by Chetan include BIG DATA LAW IN CANADA (2019), and various compilations for the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry.
He is a former judicial law clerk of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal (2011-12), and is licensed to practice in Ontario, New York State, and Massachusetts (all 2013).
See our About Us page for Chetan’s detailed bio.
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IAPP Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP # 332425l) (2023)
IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM # 332425l) (2023)
IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional – Europe (CIPP/E # 332425l) (2023)
IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional – US (CIPP/US # 332425l) (2020)
CipherTrace Certified Examiner (CTCE certificate) (2019)
IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional – Canada (CIPP/C # 332425l) (2019)
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Nova Scotia Court of Appeal (2012)
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Master of Laws in International Business Law, University College London (2011)
Juris Doctor, Queen’s University (2010)
Postgraduate Diploma in International and European Law, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 (2009)
Bachelor of Music in Composition, English minor, University of Toronto (2007)
Billing & Workflow
Transactions:
We work within legal budgets, set with you, on a cost-per-stage basis.
Litigation:
We provide ongoing cost projections for each viable path ahead.
GC / CPO:
We set a flat rate with you for a fixed number of hours per week.
Our workflow ensures you are continually informed of your best options and projected expenses.
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